Chapter Forty-Four: Visiting SM, and the First Encounter with Soojung (4)

“Um, Senior Krystal Jung, I was born in 1996, so according to the Korean age system, I should be seventeen.” Chen Zhe was a bit bewildered by Krystal’s question, but he didn’t overthink it and simply stated his age.

“Nineteen ninety-six, seventeen! That means you’re two years younger than me!” Hearing Chen Zhe’s answer, Krystal was taken aback—he really was a minor, and younger than her by two years.

Now, the way Krystal looked at her own older sister had changed to one of suspicion, as if she were regarding a criminal. She thought to herself, who would have guessed that Unnie would make a move on Yuqi’s younger brother, who’s seven years younger than her? This is practically a crime.

“What’s with that look, Krystal!” Jessica, who had been smiling at the interaction between her younger siblings, immediately bristled when she noticed Krystal’s oddly suspicious gaze. Her temper, never the best to begin with, flared on the spot.

“Unnie, you know exactly what I mean. Do I really need to say it out loud?” Krystal stared her sister down, undeterred.

(Author’s note: stuck here, will revise and continue later.)

“Oh, that’s nothing to fuss about! Heechul Unnie, why don’t you come with us to the cafeteria?” As soon as Kim Heechul finished speaking, Yoona, standing nearby, instantly looped her arm through his, using a deliberately coy tone that seemed designed to provoke.

“Yoona, what nonsense are you spouting!” Hearing Yoona use that deliberately teasing voice to address him as “Unnie”, Heechul felt himself overwhelmed; he barely had time to get angry before Yoona’s tone sent shivers down his spine.

“Heechul Oppa, are you coming with us or not?” As Yoona clung to one arm, Sooyoung let go of Chen Zhe and grabbed Heechul’s other arm.

“All right, all right! I’ll go with you, okay? But why are you all dragging me along like this?” Surrounded by these two foodies and under the watchful eyes of the other Girls’ Generation members, Heechul felt the pressure mounting and had no choice but to surrender to their collective might.

“Of course, it’s because we want you to treat us, Heechul Oppa! Today we’re celebrating that we’ve found ourselves an excellent younger brother, and as both our brother and Ah Zhe’s big brother, you have to show us some generosity!” As soon as Heechul finished speaking, Jessica, who had been zoning out, joined in.

“Fine, with a reason like that, how could I possibly refuse? I’ll go to the cafeteria with you!” Hearing Jessica chime in, Heechul could only sigh in resignation and agree to join them.

Sooyoung led the way with Chen Zhe and Yoona—the trio of foodies at the front. Heechul and Jessica followed in the middle, while at the rear walked Sunny, Seohyun, Tiffany, and Yuri, deep in discussion as they ambled along.

The nine of them made quite a spectacle as they swept into the SM Entertainment cafeteria, immediately catching the attention of the artists and trainees having lunch. All eyes turned toward them.

Upon seeing Sooyoung and Yoona at the front, the trainees wanted to take a closer look, but when they noticed Sooyoung was holding the arm of an unfamiliar young man, curiosity lingered, yet most quickly averted their gazes, no longer daring to stare.

“Noona, how about this one? Is it good?” Chen Zhe pointed at a dish, asking Sooyoung repeatedly.

“That one’s just so-so, Ah Zhe. I recommend this one instead—it’s really delicious!” Sooyoung vetoed his choice, suggesting one of her own favorites.

“Ah Zhe, I recommend this one—this one’s very good too!” Yoona, not to be outdone, recommended another dish she liked.

While the three foodies were still picking their dishes, the others had already chosen theirs, except for Heechul, who patiently waited for the trio to finish so he could pay for everyone.

After another half hour, the trio finally decided what to eat. Once Heechul had paid for their meals, they all headed to the spot Seohyun and the others had picked out.

At first glance, Chen Zhe noticed an extra person at the table—a beautiful girl with auburn hair. Even silent, she radiated a cool aura that made a strong impression. This was Krystal, Jessica’s younger sister and one of the youngest members of f(x).

“Hello, Senior Krystal! I’m Chen Zhe, an artist from LOEN!” Slightly dazed for a moment, Chen Zhe quickly composed himself and greeted Krystal politely.

“Hello, I’m Krystal! Nice to meet you, Chen Zhe! I heard that Sooyoung Unnie has already claimed you as her little brother?” Krystal returned the greeting with equal politeness and, curious, asked if the rumors about Sooyoung were true.

“Haha, of course! Ah Zhe is my little brother now. Krystal, I hope you’ll look out for him too!” Sooyoung set down her tray, gave Chen Zhe a friendly pat on the shoulder, and addressed Krystal.

“Krystal, Ah Zhe is now also our Girls’ Generation little brother!” Jessica, who was eating, chimed in. This was something they had already agreed upon on the way over.

“Krystal, Ah Zhe is my little brother too! I was the first to meet him, after all!” Heechul, bringing up the rear with the foodies, jumped in as well.

“Is that so? All right, I understand.” After hearing Sooyoung, Heechul, and her own sister, Krystal simply nodded at Chen Zhe, said nothing more, and resumed eating.

“Hey, Ah Zhe, that grilled meat looks pretty good. Let me try some!” As soon as Chen Zhe raised his chopsticks, Yoona, sitting opposite him, reached out with hers to snatch a piece from his plate.

“Stop right there, Yoona Noona! Don’t you know this is a provocation to the god of food? Are you declaring war?” Chen Zhe instantly intercepted her chopsticks with his own, eyes serious and demeanor grave.

“All right, you two, that’s enough!” As the two squared off, Sooyoung, sitting beside Chen Zhe, calmly reached out and took a piece of grilled meat from each of their plates, eating them with relish.

“Noona!” “Unnie!” Both Chen Zhe and Yoona were stunned, staring at Sooyoung in disbelief at her sudden betrayal.

“It’s nothing, I was just testing the doneness of your grilled meat for you—no need to get so worked up. You’re welcome!” Sooyoung quickly finished the stolen bites and waved off their protests, unfazed by their glares.

“Unnie, how can you eat my grilled meat and act like it’s nothing!” Yoona erupted, pointing at Sooyoung in indignation.

“Noona, I didn’t expect you to be eyeing my food too. I won’t give it up so easily!” Chen Zhe guarded his plate warily, batting away Yoona’s sneaky chopsticks.

Caught in the act, Yoona pretended nothing had happened and quietly returned to her own meal.

Though the three appeared to be eating separately, they kept glancing at each other’s plates, clearly on the lookout for another opportunity, their intentions barely concealed.

Watching the antics of the foodie trio, the others couldn’t help but shake their heads and laugh. Even Krystal, who had been a little reserved because she didn’t know everyone well, couldn’t suppress a soft chuckle at the scene.